Sacha Baron Cohen to Make ‘Bond’-Style Spy Spoof at Paramount

Sacha Baron Cohen isn’t content to let James Bond have all the spy fun. The actor, comedian and writer has just sold a new script to Paramount — a spy spoof that, if Cohen’s previous work is any indicator, seems to be just as ridiculous as ‘Borat‘ and ‘Bruno.’

Variety reports that Sacha Baron Cohen is hard at work on a new script with the talented Phil Johnston, which tells the story of a smart, sophisticated spy along the lines of James Bond who is forced to go on the run with his idiot brother, a soccer player. The script is not yet titled or completed.

Cohen acts in all of his projects, so it wouldn’t be surprising if the funny man cast himself in either role (in fact, we’re expecting it), and it might be refreshing to see him tackle the straight guy — he did such a fine job with a more restrained part in Martin Scorsese’s ‘Hugo’ last winter. It seems more likely he’d cast himself in the role of the goofy brother, but we can dream, right?

Johnston’s resume is impressive, containing gems like last year’s ‘Cedar Rapids,’ Disney’s ‘Wreck-It Ralph,’ and Alexander Payne‘s upcoming black and white dramedy ‘Nebraska.’ On the opposite spectrum, Cohen’s last film was ‘The Dictator,’ a straight studio feature unlike his previous mock-docs ‘Borat’ and ‘Bruno,’ though the film held the same crude spirit. Cohen has a first look deal with Paramount, which also distributed ‘The Dictator.’